Thanks for the quick replies, I live in northeast Texas so it warm most of the time though id be moving across the state line to Arkansas if I purchase this trailer. But 45 miles shouldn't make THAT much a weather difference I hope. How much are you able to run on 30 amps of power?

Thanks for the tip about the mobile home park I will have to to look for any that are close to where I work, anything to save a buck :)

Should have said this in my first post.  Welcome to the RV Dreams forums.

Northeast Texas and Arkansas can get pretty cold at times.  It can at least get to the point where your outside water lines could be in danger of freezing, so you will need to either insulate the hoses and the hydrant, or watch your temperatures and when there is a possibility of freezing, fill your fresh tank and then unhook the hoses and drain them.  If you can, look for a trailer that will either heat the underbelly or will have heated holding tanks.  I don't know if any 18' - 24' trailers are so equipped, so keep that in mind when shopping.

We live in the Oklahoma City area and recently had temps down to about 14 degrees.  Of course, our trailer is much larger and is better equipped for cold weather with thicker walls and insulation than most campers have.  Keep in mind that most small trailer are designed more as "campers" for occasional camping instead of being equipped for long-term living.

Terry

In the winter look for a space that gets the early day sun; saves propane, in the summer make sure you have shade from noon until dark; save on the electric bill. 30 amps will run the air conditioner and low watt appliances; you can't run the hair blow drier, toaster, microwave or high watt appliances at the same time as the AC. If you do you will have to reset the breaker either in the TT or at the main plug-in. Laptop or desktop will give you no problems.

@Terry and Jo: Thank you for the welcome, insulating the hoses and the hydrant will likely be the way to go price wise. However do you mean by the hydrant? Also, do they not sell pre-insulated hoses? And if so worth investing in?

@PIEERE: Could you go in the difference between high and low watt appliances a bit? microwave fridge high I'm assuming?

Also one big concern that I forgot to ask about, food storage. Currently ill cook lets say tacos and eat them for 2-3 days because I am lazy. But with a mini fridge that is not exactly possible, any small space cooking tips? I read the forum on here about cooking but its all about eating healthier or organic

Taco bell !!!!!.......

At 18 with a small fridge ,I would pick up a small grill and only cook to order....cooking tips when someone is 18 is tough....best way to learn is to create a budget and stick to it.........learning to manage your money now will go along way later. seeing where you spend every dollar you make will help you control the wasted spending......it also will help you move up

you now have a good start, your about to get off living on a borrowed couch and into something that belongs to you, take care of it. fix it up and it will pay you back..........in your own words "I am lazy"..........that is a choice controlled only by you,we all were 18 and unless we were silver spoon fed, we all started roughly where you are at.

Grab hold of your bootstraps set a goal and do it!!!........time is going to start flying and its better to do it now than look back and wish you had!!!!

If we met tommorow, you would think ......how could someone afford those things.................I would give you my lifes savings , this fancy coach and all I own....just to be 18 again!!!!

( must be able to take everything I learned along the way with me!!....there was a couple of mistakes I need to fix,and a couple of bits of wisdom I'd hate to loose!!)

Hello everyone,

I am looking at buying a small travel trailer. Got my eye on an 18' and 23' that I will park near my job to be stationary full time. Still under 20 and just trying to save money and get off a friends couch. Just wondering if I could get some tips from people that have tried this. If you could let tell me about any of your problems or what you liked about it such as power issues, space issues (only living on a couch so i dont think it will be much of a problem but still), waste just anything you could help with id appreciate it.

Thanks

If the trailer you are looking for has a toilet, you will likely have a holding tank for that.  Most every camper I ever saw at least had a fresh water holding tank.  While I've not been involved with a lot of campers/rv's, even the 26 footers we had worked on 30 amp electric.  The trailer will likely only have one furnace, one air conditioner and a few other appliances, so a 30 amp system should suffice.

If you are going to stay in one town for some time, look into renting a spot in a mobile home park.  Some of them are set up to accomodate RV's, and you will generally find it cheaper than renting a space in an RV park.  We are in a small mobile home park right next to a good RV park.  The RV park charges about $590 a month and if one is there long-term, they may also have to have their electric put on a separate meter.  Our lot rent is about $190, which includes water and sewer.  Our lot rent and utilities (electric and LP gas) runs us less than the rate at the RV Park.

Good luck with the research and planning.

Terry

TexasPanda wrote:

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@Terry and Jo: Thank you for the welcome, insulating the hoses and the hydrant will likely be the way to go price wise. However do you mean by the hydrant? Also, do they not sell pre-insulated hoses? And if so worth investing in?

@PIEERE: Could you go in the difference between high and low watt appliances a bit? microwave fridge high I'm assuming?

-- Edited by TexasPanda on Friday 11th of January 2013 06:54:30 PM

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 The fridge can be run on propane or electric. Every appliance usually has a specification sticker which will tell you the watts. Microwaves usuall are rated anywhere between 800-1100 watts. Watts= volts X Amps or Amps= Watts Divided by Volts. If you have 30 amps you have 3600 watts available.  The roof AC will draw 1800-2200 watts when the compressor engages, so if you kick on the 1100 watt microwave you are limiting the circuit breaker and the sudden draw will usually pop the breaker. You can also google the formula for voltage as I have to admit formulas are not my specialty. Hope this helps.

TexasPanda wrote:

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@Terry and Jo: Thank you for the welcome, insulating the hoses and the hydrant will likely be the way to go price wise. However do you mean by the hydrant? Also, do they not sell pre-insulated hoses? And if so worth investing in?

---

 I don't remember what they are called, but I have seen insulated covers that can be slipped down over the top of the hydrant.  If you can't find some of those, I don't imagine it would take much to make up an insulated "sock" that will slip over the top of the hydrant and go down to the ground.  If you happen to have a situation where the faucets are underground, then a box or bucket can be placed over the hydrant in that way.  In our case, we have a fairly large box with a hinged top sitting over our underground hydrants.  I added a bit of heat by placing an automotive trouble light inside that box, hanging from the inside of the hinged lid.

As for "insulated hoses" they do make a heated one.  However, those cost about $100 for a single 25' length of hose.  I've had others tell me that those only last about a year.  We have encased our hoses with 6' lengths of split foam tubes, wrapped a heat cable around those (two hoses - one for fresh water and one for black tank flushing), then insulation is wrapped around that and then a foil tape.  All of that assembled water system is then slipped into 4" PVC piping.  At 14 degrees a while back, we almost froze up in the hoses.  That is why one might need to fill the fresh water tank and then unhook and drain the hoses.

Terry

space for your belongings is all good and well do not forget about space for yourself you will want room to roam when the weather is bad.

if you are not going to have the ability to haul a bumper pull then consider a motorhome.

as far as not haveing enough power if the camper  has a power cord hatch you can run an addtional power cord to power other things.

not all campers are made equal some are made cheaper than others.

unless your couch is being taken from you keep saveing the more money you have the better unit you can afford.

one last one do not be affraid to ask questions here when you find one that you might want to buy there are years of experience and knowledge here.

 WELCOME

Without having weights of trailers to go by, your 3/4 ton truck ought to be able to handle at least up to a 26' trailer.  I say that because we had two different 26-foot trailers (one bumper pull and one fifth wheel) that we pulled with a Ford F250.

Terry

I'm older, but in a similar situation, renting here is Northern California is expensive, and working in social services is low paying. I looked at an 18ft and a 25ft, and settled for the 25ft. I've lived in one room since I moved to California, and really wanted a seperate bedroom.  But if I was a guy, without much stuff, an 18ft might do. I have a You Tube channel documenting some of my adventures with trailer living, and there's a lot of younger "urban campers" on You Tube. My channel: http://www.youtube.com/2012escapee1

Some things that are to be considered, especially since you are younger, and surely somewhat computer saavy, is internet connections. Sure, if you are permanent in a park, you can do regular DSL, but if you want to move around, get mobile WiFi. I have a Sprint mobile hot spot with 12 GB of data per month. I also have a WiFi signal booster, for if I get into an area without good signals. Another thing, TV. Personally, I can do without, but I also have unlimited data on my Sprint cell phone, so I can watch You Tube all day.

One very cool thing about getting a trailer is, it's pretty cheap to trick it out as "green" or to "bug out". My solar panels, installed, cost less that $800. I rigged up my own rainwater collection system for less than $50. A wind generator for an RV goes for around than $300. You can keep your tank filled, and have 60 gallons of water on hand at all times, for when disaster strikes. Even without solar, your batteries will keep you going for a day or two. Tricking out your trailer is a lot less expensive than a house, and no building codes!

Propane is wonderful! It's about $28 to fill one of my 7 gallon tanks, and that lasts, in winter 3-4 weeks, summer, 6+ weeks. That will heat your water, cook your food, keep you warm, and even power the fridge.

A far as cooking, I keep a bag of baby spinach on hand, plus shredded carrots, and gluten free pasta, sun dried tomatoes, parmesan or feta cheese... boil the pasta, throw in some carrots, last minute, throw in some spinach and sun dried tomatoes, drain, toss with feta. Another quick pasta dish; take some plain yogurt, mix with garlic, set aside for a hour or so. Boil pasta, throw in spinach, veggies, toss with the yogurt sauce, sprinkle with parmesan or feta.

Oh, here's another tasty, healthy recipe I came up with; I bought a big fish cheap, cooked it, and put it in portions in the freezer. Chop up some fresh cilantro, tomatoes, green onions if you like, and toss the defrosted fish portion with that, and some green salsa. Serve with warmed corntortillas. Instant ceviche, yummy!

I keep dried fruits (raisins, figs, papaya, etc) on hand, as well as Tasty Bites Indian food (just heat up in hot water). I also do a lot of Super Green smoothies in a blender, plus yogurt. And don't forget to take your vitamins! Since you are young, start eating healthy now, go organic, so that when you get older, you won't be old. I've been (more or less) an organic vegetarian for 30 years, and believe me, it's paid off!

I'd say, go for the trailer! Better than sofa surfing! 

Jane

-- Edited by Hina on Friday 25th of January 2013 04:58:52 PM

Oh, here's some more cooking tips; you will probably be getting your first pots and pans. Don't get teflon or aluminum, it's bad for your health! Aluminum can contribute to Alzheimers, and Teflon flakes off into your food, and is toxic. DO get a cast iron frying pan. I use that more than anything! You need to "season" it, by rubbing a light coat of vegetable oil on it, then put it on the stove on high, until it starts to smoke. Then let it cool off. Better than teflon! Don't scrub your cast iron pan, unless you have scrambled eggs or something stuck in there, just wipe it out with a paper towel. Every so often, recoat it with a little cooking oil. Also, get a 1-2 quart stainless steel or enameled sauce pan, maybe a big pot for boiling bigger stuff, and a tea kettle. That's about all you need. You can pick up strainers, pancake flippers, forks, knives, spoons, pot holders, etc at the dollar store.

More cooking ideas; I lived for years in a place with no kitchen, so I had to make do with a toaster oven and a coffee maker. You can cook those Chinese rice noodles in a coffee maker, they don't need to be boiled. Throw in baby spinach, it will all cook. I like the Tasty Bite Indian foods in the foil packets, those also "cook" in a coffee maker.

I also keep cartons of rice and soy milk under the sofa, don't need to be refrigerated. Also, how about some organic protein bars, and trail mix? If you have a Trader Joe's nearby, they have lots of yummy, organic storable foods, cheap, such as a delicious Thai Tuna in a foil packet, you just need to warm in hot water.

Also, about plumbing. You need special RV toilet paper, so as not to clog your system. If you can't get that, look for "septic safe" TP. Also, I keep a little trash can near the bathroom, and throw the pee-pee paper in there, and then in the trash, rather than down the tank. Stretches the time I need to dump, and reduces the possibility of problems.

You may also want to get a small shop vac, if you have carpet.

As far as the age on the trailers you are looking at, VERY IMPORTANT, look for water spots on the ceiling and floor! Trailers leak! And if it smells musty, you don't want to get into a "toxic mold" situation. It's very important that the trailers stay dry. They tend to "condense" in the winter, with foggy windows on the inside. I run a dehumidifer, and keep the windows open as much as possible. If the roof does have a little leak, it might not be too expensive to fix, with a bucket of that roof rubber stuff, you can paint on. Be honest with yourself, if it is too dirty and musty inside, it may take quiet a bit of elbow grease to get it liveable. You do not want to live in a moldy situation!

Jane